DOWNES IS LOOKING UP WITH GULLS
INTERIM manager Aaron Downes has urged his Torquay United players and fans to rally round in unity after the club were docked 10 points for announcing plans to go into administration.
Owner Clarke Osborne said last month he could no longer afford to fund the National League South club, who are currently in their lowest position since they were first elected to the Football League in 1927.
The points deduction sees the Gulls slip to 17th in the table – just three points above the relegation zone – but Downes is backing his team to stave off the threat of a second straight relegation.
“It’s our role now to make sure that we make them back up as quickly as possible and secure the club’s future,” he told BBC
Radio Devon.
“I think it’s something that was always in the background so it’s not a complete shock.
“Now we know where we are, it does give us an opportunity to focus on the task at hand.
“We feel we’re in a bit of a false position because the points have been taken from us and it doesn’t reflect the quality of the squad and the team.”
Downes says the team have been inspired by the support shown for the club in adversity, adding: “We have been inundated with support financially and physically.
“We are going to try our hardest to make sure that we can put a team out there that shows the commitment and the passion that they (the supporters) are showing.
“The most important thing to me is that the supporters are proud to watch their team and they’ve got something to cheer on.
“We’re working hard to make sure we can do that and we just plead with the supporters to keep coming, keep supporting us and stay positive because, as a collective, we will get through this together.”